


15 Minutes of Fame

by lone_lilly



Category: Lost
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-07-14
Updated: 2005-07-14
Packaged: 2017-10-24 08:02:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/260970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lone_lilly/pseuds/lone_lilly





	15 Minutes of Fame

  
15 Minutes of Fame

The Pace family/survivors  
setting: 2007

drabble meme, requested by [](http://avariel-wings.livejournal.com/profile)[**avariel_wings**](http://avariel-wings.livejournal.com/)

  
Someone watching closely-- and really that could be any of the millions of television viewers watching "The Return" from the comfort of their own homes-- might notice two strange things about the people coming off SouthernOcean Air flight 518. The first being that all of them, every last one of them, seemed to exhale in nervous relief as they entered the airport from the plane's corridor. The second thing was that they were naturally dividing themselves into three groups.

There was the first group who had family waiting anxiously for them just beyond the gate.

There was the second group who knew they had no one and were forced to exit past the happy reunions of the first group and head straight for the press line so that their safe (and lonely) return could be documented for posterity's sake.

Then there was the third group who exited the concourse glancing around hopefully only to realize they'd been gone all that time and no one had bothered to meet them. Somewhat bewilderedly, they moved towards the flashing cameras and rolling video tape so they too could be immortalized forever.

Claire realized with a sinking feeling that she was a member of this third group. She looked around her, shielding Aaron's eyes as the reporters snapped pictures of them both in her moment of hesitation.

It was one of those pictures that would be on the front page of every paper the next morning. After two years on the island, she was the only one to have given birth and lived to tell about it, and everybody wanted a piece of her survival story. "Jungle Mommy Now Must Face Her Biggest Fear: Raising Her Child Alone!" the papers would cry, and she would laugh and roll her eyes because that wasn't her greatest fear any longer.

She took a deep breath and started to lead her son over when a hand suddenly appeared on her back and a voice in her ear said, "Claire, love, come this way. I want you to meet my brother Liam, yeah?"

She smiled gratefully at Charlie and allowed him to lead her over to a young couple with a little girl only a few years older than Aaron peeking out from behind her mother's skirt.

"Liam, this is my friend Claire and her son Aaron. They're going to be staying with me for awhile."

"It's nice to meet you," she said and shook his offered hand.

Liam turned to the woman beside him. "This is my wife Karen and our little bug Megan."

Claire started to shake Karen's hand as well and was rather taken aback when the woman hugged her unexpectedly.

"You poor dear," she said in an accent similar to Claire's own. "Come on. We'll get this circus nonsense over with so you can get a real meal and sleep in a real bed."

She immediately steered Claire away from the men towards the press, a warm, comforting hand guiding her over, but more importantly, not letting go. Whatever questions, whatever photo-ops they wanted to take of her, it seemed Karen was intent on being right there by her side.

"That's a good one you got there, Charlie-o," Liam grinned and patted his brother affectionately on the back. "Don't screw this one up."

Before Charlie could respond, he saw Claire glance over at him and a second later she flashed him a dazzling smile that he'd come to learn was just for him.

"Yeah," he agreed, his own smile wide. He turned back to Liam. "No, I won't. Not this time. This one's for keeps. Have I mentioned I have a whole notebook of new songs for us?"

His brother laughed and shook his head in wonder, and the two made their way over to where the ladies were standing, ready to start their new life.


End file.
